Hughenden Manor Hughenden Manor HERITAGE RATING: ? HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS: Mementos of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who lived here happily for many years until his death Hughenden Manor, south front Hughenden Manor was the home of Victorian prime minister and statesman Benjamin Disraeli from 1848 until his death in 1881. Most of his furniture, books and pictures remain in this, his private retreat. There are beautiful walks through the surrounding park and Chiltern woodlands and the garden is a recreation of the colourful design of his wife, Mary Anne. Hughenden was a Georgian estate when Disraeli purchased it. Curiously, Disraeli himself was not financially able to support the estate, but he thought it a necessary part of his political career to be a landowner. He was able to borrow the money from Lord George Bentinck to buy the estate. Under Disraeli's care Hughenden was transformed into a Victorian red-brick house decorated with fanciful pinnacles. Hughenden was Disraeli's home from 1848 until his death in 1881.

The house interior underwent many changes after Disraeli's death, but several rooms have been restored, with many of Disraeli's personal belongings and mementoes displayed as they would have been during his lifetime. The gardens surrounding the house werre originally created by Disraeli's wife Mary Anne. Though altered after her death, the gardens have now been restored to closely match the original design. There are extensive walks through pleasant woodland near the house. One of the most intriguing aspects of the National Trust's efforts at Hughenden is the 'below stairs' displays, showing what life was like for servants employed by the Disraeli's during their time at Hughenden. The lives of several known servants are traced, so that you really feel you know them personally, and what their lives were like. Hughenden was used during WWII as a secret base for creating maps used by the RAF in bombing raids over Germany. This wartime era is brought to life in a new exhibit 'below stairs' at Hughenden, where visitors can see what life was like for personnel involved in creating the maps, and how the maps were used by pilots.

Hughenden for Families: When we visited as a family there were children's activity packs, and an 'Eye Spy' trail inside the house. Our younger child (aged 8) very much enjoyed these activities, and also enjoyed the woodland walks, with plenty of room to run about and work off that excess energy! Note: Iin an attempt to preserve the contents of the house several rooms have little electric light. These rooms may be dim on dull, overcast days, so people wishing to study the interior closely may wish to avoid such days for visiting. About Hughenden Manor Perfect for those interested in history - Hughenden Manor, High Wycombe Traveller Reviews - TripAdvisor “Lovely place, great facilities but bit more info needed” Reviewed 31 May 2016 The setting is simply stunning, and fabulously landscaped and managed by the NT. Staff were very friendly, the café, shop and second hand bookshop were lovely. I got there rather late in the day so didn't have a chance to stroll a great deal in the gardens but what I did see was excellently maintained. When it comes to the manor itself, I felt that more information would have been helpful.

The basic room card doesn't give you much info though staff were on hand to answer questions. I was interested in Disraeli as a politician and there was little discussion of what he actually achieved - the focus was on him as a friend of Queen Victoria and as an author - the 'social climbing' elements. The exhibition on to top floor covered some of this but I didn't get any kind of sense of a chronology. The manor is rather dark and gloomy, however that was the Victorian style - dark wallpapers, minimal lighting etc. All in all if you are in the area it is definitely worth a visit. Visited May 2016 Reviewed 31 May 2016 via mobile Being NT members this was a fabulous location to meet up on a Sunny day, if you are looking for spectacular views, wonderful woodland walks and a bit of history it's ticks all the boxes. Things to be aware of,some steep paths especially from the Car Park, most of the food on the menu had gone by 1pm and the house is a smaller manor than many NT properties. However for the walks and views alone we will be back and the lady doing the Disraeli talk was very interesting, thank you!

Visited May 2016 “Highly overrated perhaps ?” Reviewed 28 May 2016 The claim to fame of this manor is that Benjamin Disraeli the British Prime Minister those days lived here. It is not a huge manor, pretty small actually. The gardens and semi woodland on the property are large and appear to be good for walks though it is difficult to distinguish what is the manor land and what is public. The main A road to the property is lush and green . You enter the road leading to the estate and find the visitor car park is past the manor , on a narrow gravelly road, on a rising slope above the manor. The approach road to the car park is poorly maintained and two cars cannot pass. Certainly considering the ticket price, this road could be done up better. The manor is on ground plus basement , first floor and second floor. Each floor has about six rooms . If you are not keen to go through the portraits hanging on the walls or to read the manuscripts and maps , you would go rather rapidly through all the floors. Though it may reflect poorly on our level of interest, my wife and I did a quick browse of all the floors in about half an hour.

The manor itself is built around 1890 or so with further improvements in 1910 so it is not very old, and is a rather simple structure. The rooms too are not ornate in any sense , so if you are expecting to see something like Schonnbrunn or The Madrid Palace or Buckingham Palace you would be very disappointed. The view from the garden room on the ground floor, or indeed from the upper floors , over the gardens, are great. Other than that , unless you are a great fan of Disraeli, there isnt much here really. The walled garden is small but has a collection of good herbs. The gardens are the rear of the manor are well structured but very few flowers in spring ( end May ) which was rather surprising. There is the obligatory shop and cafe and a ridiculously small toilet . The tickets are pretty expensive, £ 10.75 per head, and I felt this was overpriced.

As one elderly couple put it as they walked past us, "if you have seen one, you have seen them all..........." Visited May 2016 Holiday Rental Cottages in Buckinghamshire for Rent Holiday Rental Cottages in Buckinghamshire for Rent Carolyn Cottage From Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia Buckinghamshire 724 miles² (1,874 km²) Ranked 33rd This article is about the English county. For other uses, see Buckinghamshire (disambiguation). Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is a county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury. Modern Buckinghamshire is divided into four districts - Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe. For the traditional county boundaries, see History of Buckinghamshire. Buckinghamshire ceremonial county includes the modern administrative county plus the Borough of Milton Keynes. (Milton Keynes and district ("North Bucks") became a unitary authority in 1997). The county includes the Chiltern Hills to the South and the Vale of Aylesbury to the north. The highest point is Coombe Hill near Wendover at 876 feet (267 m) above sea level.

Buckinghamshire has a modern service based economy and is part of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire NUTS-2 region, which was the seventh richest subregion in the European Union in 2002. The southern part of the county is a properous section of the London commuter belt. The county has fertile agricultural lands, with many landed estates, especially those of the Rothschild banking family of England in the 19th century (see Rothschild properties in Buckinghamshire). Manufacturing industries include furniture-making (traditionally centred at High Wycombe), pharmaceuticals and agricultural processing. Most English counties have nicknames for people from that county, such as a Tyke from Yorkshire and a Yellowbelly from Lincolnshire; the traditional nickname for people from Buckinghamshire is 'Buckinghamshire Beef and Bread', deriving from the hearty medieval diet of the natives!(citation needed) As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose the Chiltern Gentian as the county flower. History Main article: History of Buckinghamshire. The name Buckinghamshire is Anglo Saxon and means ''The district (scire) of Bucca's home.

Bucca's home'' refers to Buckingham in the north of the county, and is named after an Anglo-Saxon landowner. The county has been so named since about the 12th century; however, the county itself has existed since it was a subdivision of the kingdom of Mercia (585–919). Some of the settlements in Buckinghamshire date back much further than the Anglo-Saxon period. Aylesbury, for example, is known to date back at least as far as 1500 B.C. . There are a wealth of places that still have their Brythonic names (Penn, Wendover), or a compound of Brythonic and Anglo Saxon (Brill, Chetwode, Great Brickhill) and there are pre-Roman earthworks all over the county. Also, one of the most legendary kings of the Britons, Cunobelinus, had a castle in the area (the earthworks of which still remain) and lent his name to the group of villages known as the Kimbles. The Roman influence on Buckinghamshire is most widely felt in the Roman roads that cross the county.

Watling Street and Akeman Street both cross the county from east to west, and the Icknield Way follows the line of the Chiltern Hills. The first two were important trade routes linking London with other parts of Roman Britain, and the latter was used as a line of defence, though it may have been an extension of a much older road. The single group of people who probably had the greatest influence on Buckinghamshire's history, however, are the Anglo-Saxons. Not only did they give the county and most of the places within it their names, but the modern geography of the county is largely as it was in the Anglo-Saxon period. One of the great battles worthy of mention in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was fought between Cerdic of Wessex and the Britons at Chearsley, no fewer than three saints from this period were born in Quarrendon and in the late Anglo-Saxon period a royal palace was established at Brill. The sheer wealth in the county was worthy of note when the Domesday Survey was taken in 1086. The Plantagenets continued to take advantage of the wealth of the county.

William the Conqueror annexed most of the manors for himself and his family: Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, William's half brother, became a major landowner locally. Many ancient hunts became the king's property (worthy of note are Bernwood Forest, Whaddon Chase and Princes Risborough) as did all the wild swans of England. The ancient tradition of breeding swans in Buckinghamshire for the king's pleasure later provided the heraldic supporter for the county's coat of arms (see below). Another flush of annexations of local manors to the Crown accompanied the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536), when almost a third of the county became the personal property of King Henry VIII, to dispose of at his pleasure. Henry VIII was also responsible for making Aylesbury the county town over Buckingham, which he did to curry favour with Thomas Boleyn so that he could marry his daughter Anne. Another of Henry's wives, Catherine Parr, also had a sphere of influence within the county. In the English Civil War (1642–1649) Buckinghamshire was mostly Parliamentarian, although some pockets of Royalism did exist.

The Parliamentarian hero John Hampden was from Buckinghamshire, and he helped defend Aylesbury in battle in 1642. Some villages to the west of the county (Brill and Boarstall for example) were under constant conflict for the duration of the war, given their equidistance between Parliamentarian Aylesbury and Royalist Oxford. Many of these places were effectively wiped off the map from the conflict, but have since been rebuilt. In 1682 William Penn, whose family seat was at Penn founded Bucks County, Pennsylvania with Quaker migrants from Buckinghamshire. Bucks County, Pennsylvania has a Buckingham, Chalfont, Wycombe and Solebury (formerly spelt Soulbury) named after the places in Buckinghamshire. The Industrial Revolution and the arrival of the railway completely changed the landscape of certain parts of the county. Wolverton in the north (now part of Milton Keynes) became a national centre for railway carriage construction and furniture and paper industries took hold in the south. In the centre of the county, the lace industry was introduced and grew rapidly, because it gave employment to women and children from poorer families.

Buckinghamshire still has good rail links to London, Birmingham and Manchester and furniture is still a major industry in parts of south Bucks. In the early to mid Victorian era a major cholera epidemic and agricultural famine took their hold on the farming industry which for so many years had been the stable mainstay for the county. Migration from the county to nearby cities and abroad was at its height at this time, and certain landowners took advantage of the cheaper land on offer that was left behind. One of the county's most influential families arrived in Bucks as a result of this, the Rothschilds, and their impact on the county's landscape was huge (see Rothschild properties in Buckinghamshire). Mass urbanisation of the very north and south of the county took place in the 20th century, which saw the new towns of Milton Keynes and Slough being formed. This was a natural extension of the industrialisation of the landscape, and provided much needed employment for many local people. Both have since become unitary authorities in their own right, reducing the land area of Buckinghamshire by almost a third.

(In the local government reform of 1974, traditional Buckinghamshire lost Slough and Eton to Berkshire; these areas have been administered under the unitary authorities of Slough and Windsor and Maidenhead since 1998). Today Buckinghamshire is considered by many to be the idyllic rural landscape of Edwardian fiction and is known colloquially as leafy Bucks. This point of view has led to many parts of the county being very popular with commuters for London, which in turn has led to an increase in the general cost of living for local people. However pockets of deprivation still remain in the county, particularly in the large towns of Aylesbury and High Wycombe. Economy This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Buckinghamshire at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. Year Note 1: includes hunting and forestry Note 2: includes energy and construction Note 3: includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured Note 4: Components may not sum to totals due to rounding Administration The modern county of Buckinghamshire is administered by Buckinghamshire County Council.

The county council was founded in 1889 with its base in new municipal buildings in Walton Street, Aylesbury (which are still there). In Buckinghamshire local administration is run on a two-tier system where public services are split between the county council and a series of district councils. In the 1960s the council moved into new premises: a 15-storey tower block in the centre of Aylesbury (pictured) designed by architect Thomas Pooley. Said to be one of the most unpopular and disliked buildings in Buckinghamshire it is now a Grade II listed building. In 1997 the northern part of Buckinghamshire in Milton Keynes Borough separated to form its own single-tier local administration system however for ceremonial and some other purposes Milton Keynes is still considered to be part of Buckinghamshire. Coat of arms The coat of arms for Buckinghamshire County Council features a white swan in chains. This dates back to the Anglo Saxon period, when swans were bred in Buckinghamshire for the king's pleasure. That the swan is in chains illustrates that the swan is bound to the king, an ancient law that still applies to wild swans in the UK today.

The herald was first used at the Battle of Agincourt by the Duke of Buckingham. Above the swan is a gold band, in the centre of which is Whiteleaf Cross, representing the many ancient landmarks of the county. The shield is mounted by a beech tree, representing the Chiltern Forest that once covered almost half the county. Either side of the shield are a stag and a swan. The motto of the shield says Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum. This is Latin and means 'no stepping back'. Places in Buckinghamshire This is a list of the towns in the county of Buckinghamshire. For the full list of towns, villages and hamlets in Buckinghamshire, see List of places in Buckinghamshire. Amersham Wendover Winslow Buckinghamshire was subdivided into 18 hundreds at the time of the Domesday Book. These later consolidated to eight — Aylesbury, Ashendon, Buckingham, Burnham, Cottesloe, Desborough, Newport and Stoke. Burnham, Desborough and Stoke are collectively known as the Chiltern Hundreds and are used as a pretext for resignation from the House of Commons.

Places within the historic bounds of Buckinghamshire This is a list of the towns in the traditional county of Buckinghamshire that after various local government reorganisations are no longer administered by it. For the full list of towns, villages and hamlets in Buckinghamshire see List of places in Buckinghamshire. Eton Wycombe Abbey Famous people from Buckinghamshire The following people are either from Buckinghamshire, have lived in Buckinghamshire, or continue to live in Buckinghamshire.

Nancy Astor, politician and society hostess, lived in Cliveden Errol Barnett, news reporter, was born in Milton Keynes Nick Beggs, musician, is from Winslow Lynda Bellingham, actress, is from Aylesbury Cilla Black, television presenter, lives in Denham Enid Blyton, writer, lived in Bourne End and Beaconsfield Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, had a house in Wendover Den Brotheridge, British Army Officer who died taking Pegasus Bridge in France was from Aylesbury Melanie Brown, musician, lived in Little Marlow John Craven, television presenter, lives in Princes Risborough Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, politician, lives in Bledlow Roald Dahl, writer, lived in Great Missenden Tess Daly has a house in Fulmer Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, politician, lived at Hughenden Manor Iain Duncan Smith, politician, lives in Swanbourne Ian Dury, musician, lived in Wingrave Noel Edmonds, television presenter, once lived in Weston Turville Edward the Confessor, king of England, had a palace in Brill T.S.

Eliot, writer, lived in Marlow Frederick, Prince of Wales lived in Cliveden Noel Gallagher, musician, lives in Little Chalfont Sir John Gielgud, actor, was living in Wotton Underwood when he died Martin Grech, musician, is from Aylesbury John Hampden, politician, was from Great Hampden David Jason, actor, lives in Ellesborough Jerome K.

Jerome, writer, lived in Marlow Angelina Jolie, actress, lives in Fulmer Howard Jones, musician, is from High Wycombe Jason "Jay" Kay, musician and frontman of Jamiroquai, lives in Horsenden Vernon Kay has a house in Fulmer Arthur Lasenby Liberty, merchant, was from Chesham John Mills, actor, lived in Denham John Milton, writer, lived in Chalfont St Giles Mike Oldfield, musician, once lived in Little Chalfont Ozzy Osbourne, musician, has a house in Chalfont St Peter Saint Osyth was from Quarrendon John Otway, musician, is from Aylesbury William Penn, politician, was from Penn Terry Pratchett, writer, was born in Beaconsfield Pauline Quirke, actress, lives in Beaconsfield Tim Rice, lyricist, is from Amersham Andy Riley, writer, is from Aylesbury Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, Prime Minister, lived at Mentmore Rothschild family, bankers, had houses in Ascott, Aston Clinton, Eythrope, Halton, Mentmore and Waddesdon Tiny Rowland, businessman, lived in Heds

or Mary Shelley, writer, lived in Marlow Percy Bysshe Shelley, writer, lived in Marlow Jackie Stewart, racing driver, lives in Ellesborough Edgar Wallace, writer and journalist, lived in Bourne End and is buried in Little Marlow Edmund Waller, poet, was from Amersham Roger of Wendover, chronicler, was from Wendover John Wilkes, an English radical, journalist and politician Terry Wogan, radio and television broadcaster, lives in Taplow John Wyclif, theologian, lived in Ludgershall This article was copied on 11 July 2006.

The current version with history is available on Wikipedia. Text on this page is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see Copyrights for details) HHRCOUK_Area_Key 3caf82bb-c00f-4856-9877-662f8a691607 Villages and towns in South Buckinghamshire Webcam link here Burnham is no longer a typical English village spreading out onto to the Slough Trading estate / Cippenham borders, the M4 and London Paddington - South Wales railway. Very close by is the forest area known as Burnham Beeches. There are about 500 acres of woodland owned by the Corporation of London. This forest area has been freequently used for filming (often in conjunction with Pinewood Studios at Iver Heath) and the area has "doubled" for the Malayan Jungle, Robin Hood's Sherwood Forest and Carry on films. Chalfont St Peter is located on the main A413 between London and Aylesbury. It lies in a valley on the spur of the Chiltern Hills.

The village street still retains most of its original character and although a new shopping centre was built in the 1960's the distinctive hill rising from the shopping centre with shops only on one side for the majority of the road looks very similar to it did in the 1950's. Chalfont St Giles Lies about 3 miles south east of Amersham just off the A413. It is a picturesque village with church, pond, village green, shops and pubs. It's history goes back for nearly 2000 years with a Roman road running through it. It is well known for "Milton's Cottage" home of the poet John Milton. The village has expanded onto the main A413 towards Chalfont St Peter and up the hill towards Little Chalfont and that area houses some very large properties. Gerrards Cross developed after the London Marlylebone railway came to the area.It was nicknamed a few years ago by local personality estate agent as "Tumbledown Tesco Town" after the supermarket that Tesco was building collapsed over the railway line below.

iInitially there was the development of shops and houses was on the Chalfont St Peter side, but during the 1950's on the other side of the railway bridge the development continued and housing now spreads south (was the common intervening) across the A40 down towards Stoke Poges and Slough. Like Beaconsfield it is now amongst some of the most expensive areas to live in, in England Farnham Common and Farnham Royal - Farnham Royal was the original village complete with village pump and pubs on the junction of the Slough - Beaconsfield - Stoke Poges Road. It is on the border of Burnham Beeches. Farnham Common is to the north and the shopping centre with pubs and restaurants is located along the road going towards Beaconsfield. Other villages close by include Hedgerley and Fulmer. Hazlemere and the surrounding villages are well-regarded in Buckinghamshire. Situated two miles north of High Wycombe in the heart of the Chiltern Hills. the villages benefit from all the necessary amenities including local shops. places of worship, restaurants, public houses and schools which cater for children of all ages.

Hazlemere is surrounded by a network of delightful and extremely popular villages including Penn, Tylers Green, Widmer End and Holmer Green. These villages are very accessible to British Rail stations at High Wycombe. Beaconsfield and also Amersham where the Metropolitan line is available. Three M40 junctions are within a fifteen minute drive giving access to the M4, M25 and beyond. The Chiltern villages have always been highly sought after, mainly due to the easy access to London whilst still retaining its close proximity to open countryside, making it an ideal location for both families and the commuter. Hazlemere and the. surrounding villages have many areas of 'Outstanding Natural Beauty' and open countryside is never more than a few minutes walk. Hazlemere has two recreational areas where many community activities take place including sports and annual village fetes. Hazlemere Golf & Country Club is situated to the east of the village. The local schools are extremely popular due their high standing in the National League Tables and as Buckinghamshire still has the 11 + and Grammar School system, many young families find the area particularly attractive. Hazlemere and surrounding villages are within the catchment area of a number of local Grammar Schools.

All of these schools have excellent academic results, however, should private education be a requirement there are several private schools including Wycombe Abbey which has repeatedly topped the league tables. The centre of Hazlemere and nearby villages offer an excellent choice of restaurants and pubs, many of the countryside pubs boast large gardens which are extremely popular during the Summer months. Local shopping facilities are available in most villages including Hazlemere Crossroads and the highly reputed Park Parade Centre. A wider range of shops can be found at High Wycombe, Beaconsfield or Amersham. High Wycombe is a thriving market town surrounded by beautiful countryside and is the largest town In Buckinghamshire. It offers a complete mix of amenities including excellent retail facilities. landscaped gardens. theatres as well as sporting and leisure clubs. Stretching along the Wye Valley from West Wycombe In the West to Loudwater and Wooburn In the East. Left: Guildhall High Wycombe High Wycombe was once a world renowned town for Its furniture industry which began In the 17th Century. Today High Wycombe Is better known for technology and business with large modern business parks nearby and successful local enterprises. Taking time out is easy with a wide range of arts and entertainment facilities and events.

Including:- The superb Wycombe Swan Theatre An easily accessible six cinema complex The Wycombe Sports centre offering swimming. squash. bowls and a running track An open air pool and lake for boating. fishing, rowing and canoeing - The Rye The longest dry ski run in England. The Summit Ski Centre for skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts An 18 hole public golf course Good local rugby and professional football clubs as well as home to the Wycombe Wanderers football club and London Wasps rugby club - formerly Adams Park now known as The Causeway Stadium. So whether it's eating out, taking time out or splashing out, High Wycombe will meet all your needs. Left Market House High Wycombe Visitors can enjoy the town's many handsome 17th and 18th century buildings particularly along the pedestrianised High Street offering shoppers a pleasant. traffic free environment. Here there is a street market on a Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. The beautifully landscaped gardens of the Wycombe Museum (furniture / chairs) in Priory Avenue provide an oasis in the heart of the town centre.

Central London's attractions are as little as 45 minutes away on the Chiltern Line so that you can be where the action is in next to no time. Left: All Saints Church High Wycombe High Wycombe is home to excellent retail facilities and superstores are situated nearby in Cressex is well placed with comprehensive transport links and services ensure easy access to a variety of major destinations including London. Heathrow. Gatwick. Oxford, and the Midlands. An extensive bus and coach network compliment rail links and roads connecting High Wycombe with neighbouring areas and important towns. Hugenden Valley is the home of Hughenden Manor - Country home of the Victorian statesman, politician and author, Benjamin Disraeli, Lord BeaconsfieldBenjamin Disraeli. Now a National Trust property. Left and right Hunden Manor Left: St Michael and All Angels St Michael and All Angels goes back to the 12th century located in the grounds of Hughenden Manor. Iver, Iver Heath and Richings Park Iver - Iver Heath is the most northerly of the three villages.

Located between Slough (Berks) and Uxbridge (Middx) it has become famous as the home of Pinewood film studios ( James Bond films amongst others filmed here) and has a church and small shopping area. Nearby Black Park has been used in numerous films - manyTransylvanian vampires have chased stagecoaches through the park and has seen life as East Germany, the Wild West and The Crimea. Iver village still has the traditional High street that has not changed much in years with a pub and Church located on the road out to Uxbridge. Richings Park is the most southerly, now bordered by the M4 and M25. It developed around Iver railway station after the First World War and has a few shops and like the other two "Ivers" apart from several new housing developments has not changed much in the last forty years. All three villages are very much commuter zones. Richings Park lies at the tip of Bucks and is approximately 1.5 miles to the Middlesex border and West Drayton and similar distance the other way to Langley and the Berkshire Border.

(Before county boundary changes last century Langley, Slough, Datchet and Eton were in Bucks and the River Thames formed the county boundary). You can therefore actually visit 3 counties in under 5 minutes!. Marlow is located 30 miles west of the centre of London situated on the River Thames and surrounded by beautiful countryside, with the Chiltern Hills to the north. Marlow is in Buckinghamshire but is very near the Berkshire border (the River Thames) and about 6 miles from the Oxfordshire border. (below High Street) . Oxford about 25 miles to the north west and Reading about 15 miles to the south west. Marlow's closest towns are High Wycombe 5 miles to the north, Henley-on-Thames to the south west and Maidenhead, Slough and Windsor to the south east and Beaconsfield to the north east. Left: All Saints Church, W Tierney Clarke Suspension Bridge & River Thames The town is very prosperous and is a big tourist base, either from the River Thames or the interesting town centre. Marlow Regatta is normally held in the third week of June on the Thames, (about ten days before Henley Regatta).

It has an excellent variety of places to enjoy a drink, or meal or both either in the town centre or within minutes of the town centre. In the surrounding countryside there are many pubs where you can relax in a real English country atmosphere. Neighbouring villages include Marlow Bottom, Little Marlow, Medenham and Bisham. Bisham is the home to Bisham Abbey - The National Sports Centre. Prestwood and Great Missenden - Located high up on the Chiltern Hills, surrounded by delightful Buckinghamshire countryside, once a group of hamlets belonging to the parishes of Hughenden, Great Missenden and Stoke Mandeville. Lying approximately 7 miles north of High Wycombe, the largest town in Buckinghamshire. Whether for business or pleasure, entry onto the M40 may be made at High Wycombe providing easy and direct access by car to Oxford, the Midlands and the North in one direction and to the M25, Heathrow and the A40 into the centre of London in the other. Also easily accessible is the ancient market town of Aylesbury lying approximately 12 miles to the northwest and the historic old town of Amersham approximately 7 miles to the southeast.

The London Underground may be picked up at Amersham on the Hill with a frequent rush hour service to the city and approximately 1.5 miles distance from Prestwood is Great Missenden station where the Chiltern Line runs between Aylesbury and Marlylebone. Prestwood village and surrounding area provides a range of homes to suit a variety of age groups and tastes. Modern properties ranging from one bedroom flats through to substantial executive and country homes. In addition to this for the elderly there are a number of self contained flats and bungalows, as well as a development of purpose built, warden controlled flats in the heart of the village. Older character properties abound from small brick and flint cottages through to rambling detached period homes boasting many historical features, with the oldest building in the village thought to date back to the early 15th Century. The Prime Minister's country home, Chequers, is only a few minutes drive away and en route one passes the monument to John Hampden, the local landowner who famously resisted the King's Claim to ship money in 1635.

The area is very popular with cyclists and joggers whilst walkers, ramblers and horse riders enjoy the network of footpaths, bridleways and minor roads which criss-cross the surrounding farm, wood and common lands. The area is well placed for excellent road and rail links to London and to the North. The village itself offers a large number of community activities for a range of ages and interests. There are toddler and playgroups, Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. Sporting and leisure pursuits include football, karate and gym clubs. The recently opened sports centre boasts, gym, football, cricket, tennis etc, Prestwood Society, Prestwood Theatre Club, WI Groups, Gardening Society and many more. Buckinghamshire schools have a reputation for providing an excellent standard of education; Prestwood has a separate infant and junior school, whilst neighbouring Great Missenden, Great Kingshill and Little Kingshill all have combined schools. Buckinghamshire children transfer to junior school at the age of 7 and to secondary upper school at the age of 11. Currently Buckinghamshire children are allocated places at Grammar or upper schools according to the outcome of the secondary schools allocation procedure and the schools reserved area.

Day to day amenities for this popular village include a dairy farm shop (including pick your own), butchers, baker, supermarket, newsagents and sub-post office, banking facilities, chemist, florist, hairdressers, off license, take-away and a plentiful supply of excellent local pubs and restaurants! Princes Risborough lies on a broad gap in the Western slopes of the Chiltern Hills to which, it probably owes its existence. The chalk downland and clear springs also made this area particularly favourable to early settlement. A Romano British villa at Saunderton, was excavated and reburied in 1937. Roman control officially ended in 41OAD and the Danes and Saxons moved in, to their 'wicks' and 'hams'. As late as 871AD., a Danish army marched along the Upper lcknield Way and soon after in 903AD, we find the first reference to Risborough by name, ' Hrisebyrgan be cilternes efese " which translated means 'the brush covered hills by the Chiltern eaves'.

The Norman Conquest is the next landmark in our history, and the Doomsday Book contains several references to 'Riseburg', In 1343 the manor passed to Edward, the Black Prince and the site was located where the Stratton Road car park is today. The population of Princes Risborough has grown from 2,418 to approximately 8,500 today. Left: High Street Princes Risborough is located approximately 9 miles north of High Wycombe, the largest town in Buckinghamshire. Whether for business or pleasure purpose entry onto the M40 may be made at High Wycombe providing easy and direct access by car to Oxford, London and the M25 or via Chinnor. Also easily accessible is the market town of Aylesbury lying approximately 8 miles to the north and the historic old town of Amersham approximately 16 miles to the southeast. The London Underground may be picked up at Amersham on the Hill with a frequent rush hour service to the city as well as the excellent Chiltern line main rail link, Birmingham to Marlylebone.

Buckinghamshire schools are perceived as providing an excellent standard of education; In Princes Risborough and Monks Risborough there are two Primary (Combined) Schools both taking pupils aged 4+ 11 years, and one Upper School for pupils aged 11 - 18 years. There is also an Independent School. Left: corner of High Street and Market Square The area is well placed for excellent road and rail links to London and to the North, and the town itself offers a large number of community activities for a range of ages. The town boasts many sports clubs and residents can choose from Badminton, Bowls, Cricket, Football, Golf, Netball and Tennis. There is also a leisure centre with indoor swimming pool. The town and surrounding area has an excellent selection of pubs and restaurants to suit all tastes. There is a weekly market on a Thursday and a Farmers market once a month. Kop Hill Climb - This weekend event is now being held in September every year in Princes Risborough. Kop Hill is a steep hill that leaves the town from the fire station end and heads towards the Hampden Woods and Green Hailey.

The first recorded event was in 1910 and as a result of a minor accident involving a spectator it was banned by the RAC in 1925. In 1999 there was a commemorative run up this famous hill as part of Princes Risborough Festival. Then in 2009 the revival of the Kop Hill Climb started and has been running ever since, raising money for charity over the weekend. It is a great place to visit and see these historic cars and bikes and is becoming very poular (but on a much smaller scale) than the Goodwood Revival .

Question: Which British politician lived at Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire, now in the care of the National Trust?
Answer: BENJAMIN DISRAELI